A crowd tastes craft beer collaborations at Mile High Stadium in Denver for Collab Fest 2016. (Photo By John Frank, Denver Post)

An amber with sweet tea blended with a Berliner weiss. A light American lager named Kurr’s. A saison with lemongrass and kumquat. And a full bouquet of floral and citrusy IPAs.

Collaboration Fest 2016 made heads spin with an array of craft beers unlike any other festival. More than 2,000 beer fans and brewers attended the sold-out 3rd annual event Saturday at Mile High Stadium.

Avery Brewing is doing a little Christmas ale counter-programming with the release of a beer named for a demon.

The beer geek-favorite Boulder brewery unleashes the ninth annual batch of its Mephistopheles Stout today, its latest and last big beer release of the year. The 15.4 percent alcohol-by-volume imperial stout was first brewed in 2005 as the third installment in Avery’s Demons of Ale series.

The beer is distinguished by its Westmalle Belgian yeast strain – which the brewery says produces layers of esters and phenols that create much of the complexity – roasted and black malts, and trace amounts of Special B. That’s a specialty malt that adds a touch raisin-like sweetness.

Our new iPad app serves as a guide to metro Denver’s bountiful breweries, beer bars and bottle shops, the holy trinity of craft beer enjoyment for followers and fans. Download the app for iPad .
Next time you head for a beer in Boulder, don’t forget your friend, Beers of Boulder and Boulder County, an iPad app from the Daily Camera. Download the app for iPad .

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In Colorado, our pint glasses overflow with excellent beer. New breweries, new batches, festivals every other week. How lucky are we? First Drafts is The Denver Post's beer blog aimed at helping you keep tabs on the state's ever-expanding craft beer culture. We offer a mash of news, event coverage, homegrown stories, tasting notes and tips to help you imbibe. Expert drinker or homebrewer? Let us know what you're loving about Colorado's beer scene. Not sure exactly what a firkin is? No worries, let us be your guide. Go ahead. Belly up and drink it in!